Russia says it will keep 7,600 troops in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after withdrawing from the rest of the country.
On Monday, Russia agreed to withdraw its troops from positions within Georgia by mid-October.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is reported to have ordered two Russian bases to be set up in the regions.
Russia's foreign minister said the troops were expected to remain in place "for the foreseeable future".
"They will be there a long time," Sergei Lavrov said from Moscow. Russia Retains Control Over Georgian Port as Tensions Increase ...
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"This is absolutely necessary, so as not to allow a repeat of armed actions," he added.
Mr Lavrov said that both regions should also be able to participate in talks on Georgia scheduled for next month in Geneva with "fully fledged" places.
Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that some 3,800 men would be positioned in each region.
On Monday, Mr Medvedev pledged to withdraw troops from the rest of Georgia on condition that the EU would deploy at least 200 observers, along with 220 other international monitors to ensure the security of the two breakaway regions.
(BBC)
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